A Birthday Surprise
by dsfeo78
Summary: Random Rizzles One-Shot. Maura wants to finally give Jane a good birthday experience.


**A/N- You guys know I usually don't do one-shots but on occasion I get an idea stuck in my head and the only way to get it out is to write it. I don't have time in my schedule to commit to another multi-chapter story so I hope this tides you all over for a bit. Enjoy. Again, it's just a simple one-shot and absolutely pure Rizzles fluff with an M rating.**

A Birthday Surprise

"But Angela," Maura sighed starting to feel frustrated, "there has to be something she's always wanted." Maura was pleading with the Rizzoli matriarch.

"I'm sorry Maura," Angela answered. "I promise if there was something I'd have told you the first time you asked me. Janie is simply impossible to shop for when it comes to her birthday. You should have realized that by now."

That was the last thing the ME wanted to hear. She was hoping Angela had time to think of something. Her best friend's birthday was approaching fast and she still had absolutely no idea what to do or get for Jane. All she knew was she needed to do something special for her. Jane had a bad history with birthdays and Maura desperately wanted to fix it.

Last year, they had the altercation with Hoyt in prison on Jane's birthday. Maura knew Jane now associated her attack by Hoyt and his death with her birthday. That was the last thing Maura wanted to continue for Jane. She had been through so much and Maura really just wanted to give Jane a birthday that was special and positive.

So this year, Maura was determined to find either just the right gift or just the right activity for Jane that would finally give her a good birthday. But she had absolutely no idea what that could be. And she wasn't getting any help from anyone. Not Korsak, Frost, Frankie, Tommy or even Angela. No one had a clue. They all could come up with some ideas about gifts for Jane but nothing was 'the' gift.

"What am I going to do?" Maura mumbled more to herself than to Angela.

"Maura, I have tried to do nice things for Jane on her birthday but it just never seems to work out. Maybe Jane's right. Maybe birthdays just aren't her thing." Angela reached over and patted the top of Maura's hand. "It seems like every time we have tried a surprise for her it's been a disaster." Angela wasn't unsympathetic to Maura's plight she just honestly didn't have any suggestions.

"I agree about the surprise part," Maura said. "Jane doesn't want any surprise parties. I would never suggest that for her. But I was just hoping to find that perfect gift for her so," she said and paused.

"So she stops associating her birthday with what happened to you guys with Hoyt last year," Angela finished Maura's thought.

Maura nodded and frowned. "Yeah. I just want to do something for her so she has a better reminder of the day than it being the day she finally had to kill Charles Hoyt."

Angela gave a slow nod, "If anyone can figure out something, I know it will be you."

R&I

Two nights later found Maura and Jane at Jane's apartment for movie night. Maura had brought over takeout Chinese and after dinner they had snuggled into each other to watch a movie. Jane, over the course of the night, had noticed that Maura was unusually quiet and seemed distracted. She thought maybe Maura would bring up whatever it was that seemed to be bothering her but they were more than halfway through the movie and Maura hadn't said anything.

Jane took the remote and paused the movie. "Alright, out with it," she said softly.

"Hmm?" Maura said barely even noticing that Jane had paused the movie.

Jane turned into Maura. She hadn't seen her friend this distracted in a long time. "What's wrong?" she asked with growing concern.

"Nothing is wrong," she answered. And she meant it. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little distracted."

Jane chuckled relaxing just a bit believing that there wasn't something seriously wrong with her friend. "Clearly. So, what's distracting you?"

Maura hedged not really knowing if she should even mention anything to Jane. Jane was what was distracting her. Maura was still trying to figure out what to do for Jane's birthday.

"Come on Maur," Jane said sweetly. "Talk to me. Maybe I can help."

Maura smiled. "I have no doubt that you can. I'm just not sure if I should even mention this," she answered as her voice got suddenly smaller.

That surprised Jane. Maura never had any issues of discussing anything with her before. "Maura," she said as she straightened up and really looked at her friend. "You know you can talk to me about anything. Come on, what's going on in that genius brain of yours?"

Maura tried to look away but Jane seemed to have locked onto her eyes and held them. She sighed and gave in. "Your birthday," she said hoping that would start to explain what had her so distracted.

Jane released the breath she had been holding. "That's what's bothering you?" she asked with surprise. "Man, you had me worried there for a minute."

"I didn't mean to worry you, really I didn't," Maura offered up. "I just," she paused and looked into the most compassionate set of brown eyes she has ever known, "I want to do something special for you for your birthday and I'm having a hard time figuring out what that should be."

"I don't need anything for my birthday M," Jane said with a small smile. "You know birthdays and me don't have a good history."

"I do know that. That's why I want to try to do something special for you. I want to change all of that for you. I want you to have a birthday that you will remember forever and have it be for all the right reasons. Not all the wrong ones." She continued to hold Jane's stare and tried to figure out if Jane was understanding her at all. "J, your birthday should be celebrated not shied away from."

Jane smiled. She understood what Maura was trying to do but she didn't really want her to do it. "I appreciate the thought. But I'd really rather not do anything. It's just another day on the calendar," she said and tried to dismiss the idea.

"No," Maura said rather forcefully. "That's just it. It's not just another day on the calendar. It's your birthday. That's not 'just another day'. It's one of the most important days of the year. I find it sad that you think the day doesn't matter and I simply refuse to let you go on thinking that way."

"Maura please," Jane shifted as she spoke. "I just don't do birthdays. I mean last year," she started and stopped. Her eyes shifted from Maura's and travelled down to Maura's neck. Without even really thinking about it, Jane reached out her hand and let a finger skim across the thin scar that was barely noticeable to anyone other than Jane.

Neither woman said anything for a few minutes. Both remembering the awful events that occurred on Jane's birthday the previous year. One desperately wanting to avoid another disaster. The other desperately wanting to make up for the previous one.

"Do you trust me?" Maura finally asked after they had sat in silence for several minutes.

"With my life," Jane answered instantaneously. There wasn't a single person on the planet Jane trusted more than she did Maura.

"Then can I ask you to let me do something for you for your birthday? If I promise no surprise parties? If I promise it will just be you and me? Will you let me do something for you?"

Jane's instinct was to say no. In fact, she had to fight her own body from forcibly shaking her head. Because even though she wanted to say no, there was a look on Maura's face she just couldn't ignore. Her eyes were pleading, almost begging Jane to say yes. And from the day the two women had met, Jane had never, ever been able to deny Maura anything she really wanted. And she understood in that moment that even included this.

"No parties. No hoopla. Just you and me?" Jane wanted clarification.

Maura couldn't stop the huge smile that broke across her face. She knew Jane was once again giving into her. "Just you and me. I promise," she said.

"Then," Jane said and sighed. "I'd be ok with that."

Maura pulled Jane into an embrace. She just couldn't help herself. She knew Jane wanted to say no just as much as she knew if she asked, really asked, Jane wouldn't say no. Once the embrace was broken, Jane picked up the remote and started their movie up again. Both women snuggled back into each other to finish the movie.

Now, Maura knew, the only other thing she still needed to do was to figure out exactly what she was going to do with and for the best friend she had ever had in her life.

R&I

Another two days later Maura found herself knocking on a door. The birthday dilemma was still nowhere near being solved and time was running out. Maura had some ideas but none of them seemed big enough or good enough to do for Jane what Maura wanted to do. And, as she had spent more and more of her time trying to think about Jane and what she could do she found herself facing an entirely new issue as well.

"Maura?" came Frankie's voice as he opened his apartment door. He was clearly surprised to see the ME.

"I'm sorry to bother you," Maura said quietly. She probably should have called him first before just stopping by. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Frankie shook his head and stepped aside inviting Maura into his place. "No. Come in."

"Thanks," she replied and entered his apartment.

"Can I get you a drink or something?" Frankie asked.

Maura shook her head, "No, thank you. I was hoping to talk with you for a few minutes if that's alright."

"Yeah, sure," He said and led them both to his couch. "But, Maura, I still can't think of anything special for Jane for her birthday."

Maura smiled, "That's not exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Alright," he replied. "What can I do for you?"

Maura hesitated. She wasn't even sure if she should be having the conversation she was about to have but she needed to talk with someone. Someone who knew Jane and could be objective. Of her available choices, Frankie had seemed to be the most logical one and the one she trusted the most never to say anything to anyone. Especially Jane.

After a few minutes of silence Frankie pushed Maura again. "Maura, you do realize that for us to talk about whatever has brought you here, you do actually have to say something?" He smiled and was clearly trying to make her more comfortable.

It worked. Maura snickered and relaxed just a bit. "I'm sorry," she offered. "I want to ask your opinion about something and I'm just not sure how to go about doing it."

"Just ask me," Frankie suggested.

"Can I ask you, no matter what comes of this conversation, that you never mention this to Jane?" she asked cryptically.

"Maura," Frankie started.

"Please Frankie," Maura interrupted. "I need you to keep this between us."

Frankie looked at Maura and could tell something was really keeping her on edge. "Alright," he said. "This is just between you and me. Now, what's going on?"

Maura took in a deep breath. She wasn't exactly sure how to even start this kind of a conversation. But she needed to talk to Frankie. So, Maura being Maura, she released the breath she had been holding and dove right to the heart of the matter. "Do you think Jane has ever been attracted to another woman before?"

If Frankie had been drinking anything in that moment, he would have spit it out. He was in no way prepared for that kind of a question from Maura. "What?"

"I'm serious Frankie. I really need to know," Maura replied.

"Maura, I'm not sure I'm the person you need to be having this conversation with," he started. She really needed to be talking to Jane about something like this.

"Frankie, please. I need to know if you think Jane has ever had an attraction for a woman before," she tried again.

"Maura," Frankie hesitated once more to answer her.

"Frankie, please try to understand. I don't mean to put you in this kind of a position but I really need to know and you are the only one who knows Jane as well as I do. I just need to understand if there is any chance."

Although Maura didn't finish the thought Frankie knew immediately what and why Maura was asking him this. "You're in love with her," he said. It wasn't a question. It seemed more like a realization.

They sat staring at each for a few moments. A stare they both understood held all the answers to that question.

"Do you think she could ever feel the same for me?" Maura asked. She knew he didn't need to have his observation confirmed.

Maura found herself having the epiphany about her feelings for Jane just a few days prior. She had always been aware of the physical attraction she would occasionally feel for Jane. There was no denying that Jane was a gorgeous woman. But Maura generally just chalked that up to a simple matter of a physical attraction. She had at different times in her life felt such an attraction for a woman. She had never acted on any of those feelings but she was never really thrown when she became aware of them.

But as she had spent time really thinking about Jane over the last few weeks she started to see things in a different light. She remembered her interactions and conversations with Jane over the years. At first, she was doing so in an attempt to come up with a birthday idea but over the last few days she found as she thought of everything she had done with Jane those thoughts turned more towards really seeing what Jane meant to her.

Each interaction. Each conversation. All of it seemed to point Maura into one direction. If she was honest with herself on how she truly felt, she was in love with her best friend. The feelings weren't sudden. That seemed a better description of her understanding of those feelings. No, her feelings for Jane had evolved over the years slowly. From friendship to what she considered to be love.

So here she sat. In the living room of her best friend's brother trying to figure out if there was any chance at all Jane could ever feel the same for her. She knew if anyone had that answer outside of Jane herself it would be Frankie.

"Maura," Frankie said, "I just don't know. I'm sorry," he frowned. He understood that wasn't the answer she was looking for.

"Frankie, please understand. I'm not asking you if you know how Jane specifically feels about me. I just wanted to know from you if you thought she has been attracted to any woman ever. I'm just not sure if she would even be open to the idea of a relationship with me."

Frankie nodded. There had been times when he was certain Jane had an attraction to a female. Just as he was certain she had never acted upon those attraction. They hadn't really ever had long talks about things of this nature but over the years they did discuss a few things. Never in detail but enough for Frankie to get a good idea about his sister. Frankie was aware that what had stopped Jane in the past from acting on an attraction was her concern over being lumped into any kind of 'stereotype' as the typical female lesbian cop.

But those were just fleeting infatuations. This was Maura. And Frankie knew what Jane felt for Maura wasn't fleeting and it wasn't an infatuation. If he was honest, he was certain Jane felt something more for Maura than friendship. It wasn't his place to label those feelings as 'love' or not but he was certain the feelings were there.

"Maura, I really can't be the one who answers that specific question for you. I think you need to be talking this over with Jane." He looked at Maura and knew she was disappointed with that answer. "But I will say this. In my opinion," he paused, "I think she would be open to you."

A smile cross Maura's face. It was a mixture of relief and gratitude. "Frankie, thank you."

He returned the smile. He liked Maura and it was his opinion that the two were perfect for each other. But it was never his place to put that opinion out there for either one of them. But maybe, if Maura was asking questions, one of them was finally willing to do something about how they both felt about each other.

"Good luck," was all he said as they stood and he showed Maura to the door. He wasn't sure what exactly Maura was going to do next but the ball was squarely in her court.

After Maura left Frankie snickered to himself. He doubted Jane was even close to being aware of what was probably in store for her. He just hoped it would all work out for the best. Which, again in his opinion, was for the two of them to be together.

R&I

A week later it was Jane's birthday. Both Maura and Jane had lucked out and Jane hadn't had a new case all week so she was free and clear to spend the night with Maura. Earlier that morning, Angela, Frankie, Tommy, Frost and Korsak had all met up with Jane down at the Division One cafe to give her their birthday gifts for her. It was a quiet little get together and for once, nothing major seemed to happen.

Jane was actually touched that each of them had gotten her anything and had even wanted to see her on her birthday. Angela made bunny pancakes for everyone and for an hour that morning, Jane was able to enjoy being with friends and family on her birthday.

"So," Angela said looking to Maura, "what are you girls doing tonight?"

Jane smiled and looked over to Maura. To that point, Maura had refused to tell Jane what the plans were only promising that the night would strictly just be the two of them. "Yeah Maura," Jane smirked, "what are we going to do tonight?"

Maura simply smiled, "You will find that out tonight Jane." She turned to Angela, "And I'm sorry but if I were to tell you this then Jane wouldn't have anything to look forward to tonight."

Angela snickered knowing it would drive Jane a little crazy not knowing what might be in store for her on the night. She always had the strong need to be in control of everything. "Well, I'm sure whatever the two of you are going to do it will be fun."

They all finished up their breakfast and everyone headed their separate ways. Jane finished up her day without incident and for the first time in a long time she was almost optimistic nothing bad was going to happen on her birthday. She had no issues spending the night with Maura and was sure Maura would deliver on her promise of the night being just the two of them. So, to her, it really didn't matter what Maura had planned. Just being in her company was all Jane really wanted.

They had agreed to meet at Maura's at 5 o'clock. So at the stroke of 5 Jane entered Maura's house. "Maura?" she called out.

"Kitchen," she heard Maura's call. She made her way to the kitchen. As she entered she found Maura leaning up against the island. She couldn't contain her smile. The sight in front of her quite literally took her breath away. Maura was exceptionally gorgeous but sometimes her beauty seemed to sneak up on the detective and this was one of those times.

"Wow," she heard herself say before she could stop it.

"What?" Maura asked with a grin.

"Umm," Jane half stuttered trying to cover her utterance. "You really did mean casual. I mean, my idea of casual."

Maura smiled. She had promised Jane that their night out together wouldn't require her to dress up at all. In fact, she encouraged casual dress. It was what Jane was most comfortable with and after all, it was her birthday. So she meant it when she said casual.

"I told you your idea of casual and not mine," she smiled. She was wearing jeans and a casual button down blouse. She almost matched Jane who had changed and was simply wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

"Thanks," Jane said and meant it. She would have dressed up for Maura if Maura had really wanted her to but it meant a lot that Maura wasn't even asking her to do that.

"It's your birthday Jane. This whole night is meant to be about the things that matter to you and that you enjoy. I hope you see that as the night goes on," Maura smiled but couldn't completely hide the nervousness she felt. All she wanted was for Jane to have a good night.

"Hey," Jane said sensing Maura's nervousness. "I'm spending the night with you. That makes anything just about perfect."

They stood staring at each other for a moment before Jane quickly looked away. Neither was really prepared for the intensity of that stare and Jane wasn't even sure where it came from or why she had just said what she said.

"Are you ready to head out?" Maura asked as she recovered from their momentary stare.

"Lead the way Dr. Isles," Jane responded and proceeded to following Maura out to Maura's car.

R&I

Their first stop was for coffee. Jane was a little surprised that Maura was willing to indulge in a caffeine fix after 3 pm which was her normal coffee cutoff time. But she seemed willing to have a cup and even let Jane place the order while she found them a table.

"Starting off the night on the edge," Jane snickered as she placed the two cups of coffee down on the table.

"Well," Maura said. "One shouldn't make it a habit to consume caffeine after 3," she said and flashed an accusatory look to Jane for her personal coffee habitats, "but there are always exceptions that can be made."

"So, besides my favorite beverage, what's on the agenda for the evening?" Jane asked as she slipped on her coffee.

"Nothing much," Maura replied. "I didn't think you wanted anything too flashy so I really just thought spending time together would be ok." Which she meant, sort of.

Jane smiled. "That's perfectly fine with me."

"Do you realize this is the first place you and I had coffee together?" Maura asked. It had been the reason she picked this place for the coffee stop.

Jane looked around at the coffee shop and then thought about it. "That's right," she admitted. "Wow, you have an excellent memory."

Maura smiled. "Some things are easier to remember than others," she replied. "We weren't even friends yet. Do you remember?"

"It had to be the third case you and I had worked together. You ended up hitching a ride back to the station with me," Jane said remembering.

"And you were in desperate need for caffeine," Maura added. "You insisted you couldn't wait until we got back to the station."

"Hey, that case woke me up at 4 am. No one should have to wait for caffeine when their day starts with a dead body before daybreak."

Maura snickered, "True. But that was really the first time you and I really had any sort of conversation that wasn't about a case."

"Yeah," Jane agreed, "I guess that really was."

"I was so nervous to just sit and talk to you," Maura admitted.

"Oh my god, why?" Jane asked.

"Jane, you remember how I was back then. Social situations, especially with people I didn't really know, was never something that I handled too well. I was afraid I was going to chase you off with my ramblings."

"You are too hard on yourself Maura," Jane said. "You were never as awkward as you think you were. In fact, I was the nervous one. I was afraid you would figure out that I was just a sarcastic idiot and you wouldn't want to waste your time with me."

"Jane, you are not an idiot," Maura said with a smile knowing she didn't excuse the sarcasm comment.

"Hey," Jane said in mock offense.

"Sorry, but sometimes there isn't any defending your sarcasm," Maura replied with a grin.

"True," Jane had to admit.

They chatted casually over coffee and when both were finished Maura indicated that it was time to move onto the next place for the evening. Next the pair found themselves was Jane's favorite Italian restaurant for dinner.

"This place makes manicotti almost as good as Ma's," Jane said with a smile as she looked over the menu.

"I remember," Maura said. The two of them didn't eat here often but Maura remembered what was good on the menu.

"So," Jane said with a smile, "I'm sensing a theme for the evening."

"Which is?" Maura asked with a smile. She wondered how long it would take Jane to figure out the connection to the places where they were going.

"Our firsts," she answered. "Am I right? I mean our first coffee shop and now the first place you and I ever had dinner together."

Maura smiled that Jane remembered this was the first place they had dinner together. "There may be a small underlying theme for the evening," she admitted.

Jane's smile increased knowing she had guessed correctly. "I like that," she said quietly.

"I'm glad," Maura replied. "When I tried to think about things we could do tonight that you would enjoy I came up with a lot of interesting ideas. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that you really didn't want anything 'big' and this was always supposed to be about letting you have a night that was just enjoyable. But I also wanted it to mean something. So, finally, I settled on trying to visit some of our 'firsts' throughout the city. I hope that's alright."

Jane reached over and took Maura's hand. "It's perfect M," she said. She held onto Maura's hand until the waitress came over and took both their orders. Again, their conversation turned to casual topics and they chatted freely all through dinner. There never seemed to be a lack of things for the two of them to discuss.

Dinner was quite enjoyable and the food was excellent. The night was going better than Jane had expected it. She was enjoying herself on her birthday for one of the first time she could remember and she knew she had Maura to thank for it. As far as she was concerned, they could simply head back to Maura's for a nightcap and she would have managed to have one of the best birthdays ever.

But instead of going home, Maura pointed the car in the opposite direction. "Now where are we going?" Jane asked.

"You'll see," Maura answered. "And I'll test that memory of yours a bit."

They drove out towards Revere which seemed to confuse Jane some. She hadn't spent any time in Revere since Angela had lost their childhood home. So when Maura pulled the car to a stop at Hill Park and got out of the car, Jane was thoroughly confused.

"Alright Maur," Jane said as she got out of the car. "I'm not sure I understand what 'first' this represents for us." She continued to look around the park but couldn't quite figure out why they were there.

Maura, in the meantime, had walked around to the trunk and opened it removing several items. "A little help here, Detective?" she asked with a smile.

Jane walked over and took the picnic basket Maura had just pulled from the trunk from her. Maura grabbed a blanket and headed towards the park without offering up much of an explanation to Jane. So, Jane simply followed her.

When Maura found a place in the grass over by the softball field she spread out the blanket and sat down waiting for Jane to join her. Once Jane finally sat down Maura started to pull out items from the picnic basket.

She pulled out two glasses, a bottle of wine and a small simply decorated cake with 'Happy Birthday' as its message, a single candle and a lighter. "I know wine isn't your favorite and I thought about just packing beer but I couldn't for the life of me convince myself that beer and cake mixed well. So, I made an executive decision and settled on the wine."

Jane smiled. "I will admit that mixing beer and sugar is an acquired taste. The wine is fine."

"Can you open the bottle," Maura asked handing Jane the corkscrew. As Jane opened the bottle and poured two glasses, Maura placed the single candle into the small cake and lit it. "I'd sing to you, but I don't think you want to deal with the neighbor complaints," she said with a smile.

Jane handed Maura a glass of wine and snickered, "Don't be so modest. I've heard you sing in the shower before. You really have a good voice."

Maura blushed slightly seeming to forget her shower singing habit or that Jane would have ever been able to hear her. "So, does that mean you want me to sing to you?"

Jane chuckled, "No, that won't be necessary."

Maura smiled and moved the cake closer to Jane. "Alright, then make your wish and blow out the candle."

Jane was quiet for a minute. She hadn't wished on a birthday candle in many years. But there was something so she closed her eyes, repeated the wish to herself and blew out the candle.

Maura clapped lightly when the candle went out. She raised her glass to Jane, "Happy Birthday J."

Jane clanked her glass with Maura's. "Thank you. For this. For the night. For once my birthday hasn't been a complete disaster."

"I'm glad," Maura replied. "And I hope you get your wish." Before Jane could say anything Maura reached into the basket and pulled out Jane's present.

"Maura," Jane said protesting. "I didn't need a gift from you. Tonight was supposed to be my present from you."

"Tonight is about celebrating your birth. Which to me is a big deal. This," as she handed Jane the gift, "is just a small token for you and something I know you will enjoy. Open it."

Jane went to protest again but received a 'don't even say it' look from Maura that simply stopped her. She opened the gift and was just speechless. "Maura," she gasped as she looked at what Maura had done.

"I couldn't really manage season tickets for any of them and considering how irregular your work schedule is I figured that wasn't a good idea anyway. So each is just a smaller package of tickets that you can use throughout each season when you can go to a game. Except for the Patriots. I had to get those specifically so hopefully you won't be working for those games."

Jane was still staring down at what Maura had done. Game tickets. To the Red Sox, the Celtics, the Bruins and the Patriots. She was speechless. "Maura," she tried and just looked up at the amazing woman sitting next to her.

"Don't even try to tell me it's too much. Because nothing I could ever do for you is too much. You have a love of Boston sports Jane. You come alive when you watch any one of these teams. In a way I don't see you anywhere else in your life. So, if I can give that to you to enjoy in person instead of just on TV, then I'm happy to do so."

Jane, not knowing what to say, simply squeaked out "Thank you," as she stared into Maura's eyes.

"You're welcome," Maura replied. She let the look between them linger like looks between them had lingered all night. But finally she looked away. She grabbed a knife to cut the cake and as she went about that task she asked. "So, have you figured out what this 'first' is?"

Jane looked around the park again trying to piece it together. "I'm really not sure," she admitted. "I mean we've really only been here a couple of times."

"That's right," Maura agreed. "Do you remember the first time?"

Jane was quiet trying to place the first. "The softball game?" she asked suddenly smiling.

Maura nodded. "Yes, the Revere Small Business softball game."

"So, that was your first softball game?" Jane asked.

"Yes, but that's not the first I was referring to," Maura said. "This was the first time you invited me to a family event."

Jane leaned back and looked at Maura. Suddenly she knew Maura was right. Jane had invited Maura to come watch her, the boys and Frank play in the annual Revere Small Business association softball game. Angela and Maura set up a picnic for them all and watched as the Rizzoli clan battled it out for town bragging rights. It had been the first time Jane had asked Maura to do something with her entire family.

"That was the first time I had a sense of what it felt like to be a part of a family," Maura said. "I owe you so much Jane. But that, your family family taking me in, that is something I will never be able to appropriately thank you for."

"They love you," Jane said with a smile. "If anything, Ma finally got the daughter she always wanted."

They both laughed as they enjoyed the wine and cake. "I was pretty lost until you all took me in," Maura said.

"I'd be pretty lost without you," was all Jane answered back with. And again, they exchanged a look they both seemed to get lost in.

They quietly enjoyed the beautiful evening and finished their wine and cake. Finally, it was time to pack up and head home. Or so Jane thought. As they placed everything in the trunk Jane looked over and smiled at Maura. "Thank you for tonight. You delivered on your promise. Just you and me and a night I want to remember."

"I'm glad," she said, "but the night is not quite over yet. We have one more stop."

Jane simply wondered what 'first' was still left to visit.

Maura simply wondered if she would have the courage to go through with what she had planned next.

R&I

Their last stop on the night really confused Jane. Maura had pulled her car up across the street from the station. She paused for a minute needing the time to center herself. She was about to take a pretty big risk and she hoped she wasn't wrong.

She looked at Jane and smiled but then got out of the car without a word. Jane just followed her lead again getting out of the car. "Our first professional encounter?" Jane asked not sure why they were at the station.

"No exactly," Maura answered. She was out of the car but didn't move to go towards the station. Instead, she surprised Jane further by climbing up and seating on the hood of her car leaving enough room for Jane to do the same and sit next to her.

"This is a much more important first," Maura said as Jane settled in next to her.

They were both quiet for a few moments. Jane seemed to be patiently waiting for Maura to fill in the gaps of what she was missing. Maura finally reached over to took Jane's hand in hers. She stared at their interlaced fingers for a few more minutes before speaking.

"This is more of a first for me than for you," she started her explanation. She let her eyes move from their hands over to towards the steps of the station. "This was where I first realized I loved you." She paused for a moment to let Jane really hear what she said. When Jane didn't offer up any verbal objection she continued. "When you shot yourself, I was so scared I had lost you it was the first time I really thought about how I felt about you. That I loved you."

"Maura," Jane started to interject but Maura cut her off.

"No," she said and turned to face Jane. She really wanted to see Jane's reaction to all she wanted to say. "Let me say all of this. Please."

Jane simply nodded.

"At first, I just thought it was a friendship love. You were so important to me. You were my best friend. You had brought so much to my life. I thought what I felt was just an extension of that friendship. But, it's more than that. That exists. But it's deeper. I have to tell you that I love you. That I'm in love with you.

"As I tried to figure out what I could do for you for your birthday I kept thinking about all of the time we have spent together and all of the things we have been though. The good and the bad. And through it all you've been there for me like no one else ever has. I simply can not imagine my life without you in it.

"There's always been an attraction. Or at least I've always felt it. But you're just an absolutely gorgeous woman so I figured it was just a reaction to that and nothing more. But again, as I really thought about us and our lives, it's more than a physical attraction too. I love you. I'm in love with you and I just needed you to know that.

"J, I have no idea if you feel the same. I don't know if you are open to exploring this on any level more than friendship. But I do know I can't keep from telling you what I feel. And I swear if you don't feel the same that's ok. We will always be friends. Best friends. So if you don't want more I'm ok with that as long as I still have you in my life."

She was starting to ramble now and she know it. But she was afraid to hear Jane's response and part of her thought if she kept talking she wouldn't have to hear Jane possibly reject her or say she didn't want what Maura wanted.

"M," Jane started to stop her from that rambling. Maura stopped talking and just looked at Jane who seemed content to just look at her and not talk for a minute. But finally, Jane spoke. "Do you know what my wish was?" she asked.

Maura had no idea and said so. "I have no idea," she answered.

"My wish. My one birthday candle wish was that at some point I would get up the courage to tell you how I felt about you."

"And how is that exactly?" Maura asked.

To answer her, Jane reached up the hand that wasn't connected to Maura's and gently caressed Maura's cheek. She then leaned into Maura and ever so gently placed her lips onto Maura's. Soft, tender with just enough pressure for Maura to realize the kiss was not innocent but instead was full of hope and promise of something more. Something bigger.

"I love you too," Jane whispered as she pulled away from Maura's mouth.

"Really?" Maura was barely able to breathe.

Jane pulled completely back from Maura and stared into the only set of eyes she ever found she got lost in. She smiled. "Really."

A peace settled between the two for a few moments. Both trying to convince themselves they really did seem to feel the same way.

"Maura?" Jane finally asked breaking the silence.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Take me home," she said with a smile. There was more to do and she just wasn't prepared to do so outside in front of where they both worked.

"Your wish is my command," Maura replied as they both got into her car.

They drove off and for the first time in Maura's life, she ignored multiple traffic laws. But then again, some things in life were worth the risk of getting a ticket.

R&I

It started the minute both made it into the house. Lips pressed together urgently, desperately. There was nothing tentative or reserved about their first kisses. Each vaguely remembered thinking just how soft the other's lips felt against theirs but both soon found that contact simply wasn't enough. Lips pressed together was a great sensation but it just seemed to fuel the growing fire burning within them both.

Soon, tongues were introduced into the mix. Jane couldn't seem to get past the incredible taste of Maura. It was like nothing she had ever experienced in her life and she was sure it was something her was going to need, absolutely need, in her life every day going forward. She quickly got lost in her exploration of the inside of Maura's mouth. The taste. The feel. The heat. All combined to drive Jane absolutely crazy.

Maura was also caught up in the moment. The feel of Jane pressing up against her. Her lips and tongue working her over was almost more than she could process. The only real coherent thought she could muster in that minute was trying to figure out why in the hell she hadn't done any of this sooner. Just Jane's lips were driving her crazy and she had foolishly deprived herself of this pleasure for far too long. She was now determined to make up for lost time.

They suddenly found themselves panting breathlessly and standing in Maura's kitchen. Exactly how they managed to get from the car into the kitchen all the while attached to each other without running into anything or causing any injuries would have both ladies wondering and being somewhat proud of themselves much later on. It was during a momentary break from kissing that Maura announced the best idea either one of them had ever heard in their lives.

"Bedroom."

A single word. But music to both their ears. And definitely a destination they both wanted to successfully navigate towards. They seemed to realize the logistics could be worked out without words as they resumed the passionate kissing that had given them both more pleasure than either had enjoyed for many months.

They skillfully managed to work their way up the stairs and into the master bedroom without having to break away from each other. In fact, they didn't stop moving until the back of Jane's legs hit Maura's bed. And even then the kissing didn't stop. It wasn't until they both realized they had made it to the bedroom that their lips paused in their activities.

For it was now the time for hands. Jane's focusing on undoing the buttons of Maura's blouse which to Jane seemed painfully a more involved task than what it took for Maura to pull Jane's t-shirt up and over her head. But finally Jane undid the last button and slid Maura's blouse away from her body. Both paused long enough to take in the sight of each being nearly topless and all that seemed to do was to spark the need for pants to be removed.

Each managed the button and zipper of the other's jeans and the both stepped out of them and unceremoniously kicked the now discarded items off to the side. Both women now stood in front of each other in just bra and panties.

"My God, you are beautiful," Jane couldn't help but make the comment. The vision in front of her was truly amazing.

Maura's simple response was to push Jane down onto the bed and move onto top her. "Your stunning," she mumbled before going in and letting her lips start to work all over Jane's neck and jawline. It wasn't until she had pulled Jane's earlobe into her mouth to suckle did Jane emit the first of what would be many, many moans on the night.

Maura simply smiled knowing the effect she was having on Jane as she slowly moved her hands to the back strap of Jane's bra where she quickly undid it and had Jane out of it in no time at all. Her hands wasted no time at all cupping both Jane's breast. That sensation alone was something Maura understood she would never forget in her life.

Knowing her hands weren't the only things she wanted on Jane's breasts, Maura slowly worked her mouth down towards them. As soon as she made her way, she slowly worked one of Jane's nipples into her mouth. Jane gasp at the feeling and arched herself up towards Maura. The feel and taste of Jane's skin was quickly becoming an addiction. She worked over the nipple for some time before switching over to the other one not wanting to leave it neglected.

As she was spending her attention on Jane's breasts, she was slowly tracing small circles around Jane's abdomen to keep her hand occupied. She teasingly let her fingers skim across the top of Jane's panties.

"God Maura," Jane exhaled several times as she was being worked over.

"What do you want?" Maura asked as she released Jane's nipple from her mouth.

Jane looked at Maura and they both know that answer but she said it anyway. "You…..inside me." It was a desperate request and one Maura was more than willing to concede to.

Maura nodded and let her circling fingers hook onto the fabric of Jane's panties. It seemed as soon as that happened, Jane found then off her body and onto Maura's floor faster than she thought was possible. But there she was. Completely naked with Maura hovering over her about to recapture her lips in a searing kiss.

As Maura reclaimed Jane's lips as hers, she let her hand slowly move up Jane's thigh until she reached her center. She paused only for a moment not really wanting to tease about something they both wanted and then she slowly entered Jane with two fingers.

"Oh God…." as all Jane could manage.

Maura had never felt anything more wonderfully erotic than the sensation of her fingers buried deep inside Jane. It was enough to practically send her over her own edge. The realization that she was inside Jane. That they were in fact together and making love was just so much for her. She started working her fingers in and out of Jane trying to find a pressure and pace that worked for Jane. As she found it, Jane's hips seemed to involuntarily rock into each thrusting motion.

When Maura added her thumb into the mix to gently circle Jane's clit, that seemed about all it took to get Jane going. A few mumbled "Yes"s and a couple more 'Oh God"s from Jane and Maura know Jane was close. She felt Jane's walls tighten around her fingers and one last thrust inward sent Jane into an intense orgasm with Maura's name being uttered from Jane's lips. A sound Maura again knew she wanted to hear over and over again.

She worked her hand in and out of Jane gently to carry her through her orgasm. Jane's was absolutely breathless as she came down from her high. Finally, Maura removed her hand from Jane's center and lowered herself onto her side. She worked to reclaim Jane's lips but also wanted to let Jane catch her breath.

"Maura," Jane finally got out after a few moments, "you are simply amazing." She tried to smile as she said it but found even that took energy she didn't quite have yet.

"I love you," was Maura's answer.

That seemed to recharge the still panting detective enough that she managed to rotate themselves so she was now above Maura and staring deep into her eyes. "I love you too," she said as she took Maura's lips in hers. "I think it's about time that I showed you just how much."

With that, she reached under Maura and unhooked Maura's bra removing it in a flash and simply throwing it across the room not caring where it landed. As soon as it was off, her hands were caressing the delicate flesh of Maura's breast. Maura's gasp when she made first contact simply made Jane smile. She kneaded both breasts in her hands for a moment but knew that was only keeping her mouth from being where Jane really wanted it to be so she worked her way down until her lips reached Maura's now hardening nipple.

"Oh Jane," Maura released as soon as Jane had pulled her nipple into her mouth. The sound of Maura moaning her name was music to Jane's ears. She worked over Maura's nipple in her mouth with her tongue and teeth until her left that one to give the same attention to the other. Maura's reaction was just as equal and Jane felt as if she could continue to do what she was doing for the rest of the night and be perfectly happy.

But Maura had other needs. Jane had her release but Maura hadn't been given hers yet. "Jane...please," Maura begged. Her need for release was now getting desperate.

"Please what?" Jane teased as she worked her hand down to Maura's panties and was in the process of removing them when Maura could finally managed an answer.

"No teasing," she whispered. "I need you. Now," she wasn't above begging.

Jane most definitely understood Maura's need and she aimed to deliver on the release Maura was now seeking. Having removed the last barrier between her fingers and Maura's center, Jane wasted no further time and entered Maura with two fingers.

"Oh my God," Maura released as soon as Jane had entered her. It felt better than she ever had imagined it could. She rolled her hips up and into Jane's fingers.

Jane had held steady just trying to enjoy the feeling of being inside Maura but realized Maura was not as patient about it all to allow for moments of reflections. Maura's hips started to thrust against Jane's fingers indicating that action was definitely needed and Jane complied. She found a rhythm with steady thrusts in and out and found that pace to be matched with pelvic thrusts by Maura.

"Oh...right there," Maura sighed as she felt pressure against her clit for the first time. "Oh yes," she let escape as Jane allowed a finger to slowly circle the bundle of nerves. "Don't stop…" was the last intelligible thing Maura was to utter over the next few moments. As Jane pumped in and out of Maura she could tell Maura was getting close. She felt Maura's inner walls start to tighten and watched as Maura's eyes slowly started to roll into the back of her head. The look Maura had on her face as she was about to come was amazing.

"Let go," Jane whispered as she gave one final thrust. That was all Maura needed to be thrown over the edge. Her orgasm matched Jane's in intensity and Jane was just enthralled by watching Maura's body react. She had been responsible for what was happening to Maura and that was just such an amazing experience.

She let Maura ride out her orgasm and the two suddenly found themselves attached at the lips again. Maura was still panting and somewhat breathless but finally managed to speak a complete thought. "That was so much better than I ever imagined," she said.

They seemed content to tangle themselves into each other both really enjoying the feel of skin on skin contact with each other for maybe the first time that night. Both were spent and sleep seemed likely to claim them both.

Just before they both slipped into a peaceful sleep in each other's arms Jane mumbled, "This is definitely the best birthday I have ever had."

Maura wanted to reply but was drifting away too quickly for actual words. Her last thought was pure happiness that Jane finally had a good memory about this day and she had succeeded beyond her wildest dreams.


End file.
